PHYSICIST

Daniel Kleppner

1932 - 2025

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Daniel Kleppner (December 16, 1932 – June 16, 2025) was an American physicist who was the Lester Wolfe Professor Emeritus of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and co-founder and co-director of the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms. His areas of science included atomic, molecular, and optical physics, and his research interests included experimental atomic physics, laser spectroscopy, and high precision measurements. Working with Norman Ramsey Jr., he helped create the first hydrogen maser in 1960. Together with Robert J. Kolenkow, he authored a popular textbook An Introduction to Mechanics for advanced students. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 18 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 17 in 2024). Daniel Kleppner is the 812th most popular physicist (down from 785th in 2024), the 12,993rd most popular biography from United States (down from 10,950th in 2019) and the 189th most popular American Physicist.

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Among PHYSICISTS

Among physicists, Daniel Kleppner ranks 812 out of 851. Before him are Stephen L. Adler, Alan Cottrell, Howard Georgi, Arthur Wightman, Cumrun Vafa, and Juan Ignacio Cirac Sasturain. After him are Sylvia Fedoruk, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Raja Ramanna, J. Richard Gott, Sidney Drell, and Edwin Thompson Jaynes.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1932, Daniel Kleppner ranks 548. Before him are Bob Lutz, Slide Hampton, Kishori Amonkar, Dorothy Ashby, Clyde McPhatter, and Duke Pearson. After him are Dennis Skinner, Tina Brooks, Tim Parnell, Derek Taylor, Shirley Cawley, and Terry Medwin. Among people deceased in 2025, Daniel Kleppner ranks 448. Before him are Otacílio Gonçalves, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Abubaker Kaki Khamis, Nicky Katt, Pat Crowley, and Slavko Obadov. After him are Cleo Laine, Frederick Hauck, Felicia Țilea-Moldovan, Nora Aunor, B. Saroja Devi, and Muhsin Hendricks.

Others Born in 1932

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Daniel Kleppner ranks 12,997 out of 20,380. Before him are Faran Tahir (1963), William Blount (1749), Ron Canada (1949), Randy Brown (1968), Christian Clemenson (1958), and Bess Armstrong (1953). After him are Vanessa Marano (1992), Jonathan Stark (1971), Tabitha Stevens (1970), David Faustino (1974), Worthington Whittredge (1820), and Kristy McNichol (1962).

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Among PHYSICISTS In United States

Among physicists born in United States, Daniel Kleppner ranks 189. Before him are Conyers Herring (1914), Robert L. Forward (1932), Herbert Goldstein (1922), Stephen L. Adler (1939), Howard Georgi (1947), and Arthur Wightman (1922). After him are J. Richard Gott (1947), Sidney Drell (1926), Edwin Thompson Jaynes (1922), Ernest Moniz (1944), Carver Mead (1934), and Richard A. Muller (1944).

American born Physicists

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